thestandouters - With rolling steel gates as his canvas, artist Franco the Great changed the face of Harlem--his murals range from the historic, the uplifting, to the whimsical.

However, in the past decade, soaring rents priced many small mom and pop stores out of the area, and many of the new business coming in threw out Franco's work. Plus, In 2008, new zoning laws required store owners switch over to the "see thru" gates, putting Franco's work in danger of disappearing all together.

Over a 30 year period, Franco painted over 200 murals.

Today, only 25 remain.

Franco and a community of supporters are working to save the rest.

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Here is a video snapshot of the Millions Hoodies March for Travon Martin in Union Square, New York City on March 21, 2012.

The speaker is Brian Jones a Teacher, Writer and Activist we interviewed during the rally/march. He connects the killing of Trayvon Martin to Michelle Alexander's book, The New Jim Crow and the view of black and brown men as criminals. The results of this criminalization has not only led to the mass incarceration of black men but also the murder of them like what happened with Trayvon Martin.

The turnout for Trayvon Martin was huge. The voices of our youth were loud and clear "we are all Trayvon Martin." We no longer need to feel like lone voices crying in the wilderness, our youth have come, the people are awakening. Death to ignorance and inhumanity!